Sporting winger Ryan Smith to miss rest of 2011 season

Sporting Kansas City announced on Tuesday that winger Ryan Smith will not return for the 2011 Major League Soccer season due to family reasons.

"It's never easy for international players who come to MLS when they have to live far away from their families. This situation is no different,” Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes said. “With some of the family issues that Ryan has back at home, he felt like this was the best decision for both him and his family, and we support him."

Smith, 24, was signed prior to the 2010 season and appeared in 26 games, recording three goals and seven assists last year. In 2011, Smith missed the first four games of the seasonwhile recovering from offseason knee surgery and had recently missed the past three games due to a groin strain. He had one goal in six MLS appearances this season.